Process of producing oxygen.



P. DAN'GKWARDT. PROGESS 0P PRODUCING OXYGEN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4, 1914.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

'J; A 3 mm Mm W W. W. mw

PAUL EAI ICKWABIQT, GTE NEAR. ARIKANSAQ. 5

PEDCESS 0F PRGDUQIIIG- GXYGEIl-li Application fiiealzi'erch To aZZ 'zoiz om it 72 a concern Be itlmow'o that l, ?AU. Dsscxwscor, citizen oithe United. the city of Dsrclsnclle, county of Ye State ofArkansas, have lIIFllifiLi a c lies-"anti useful Process of Producing gen, of which the following is a speci cetion. y

My inyerrtion' relates to 2. process of making cs'ygeii. It is heseci onthe some tiers-es the old Well "lsnown methocl of Tessie chi lvi'otay. This method been improved from. time time and. is holding its OWZllll such improved forms still to-tlay, against the newer mechanical anal electrolytic processes. Hos'ev r, it was never adapted to the manufacture of oxygen on a very large scale for the reason that an immense number of retorts and it great amount of labor were required to work it, and that it is not e continuous process.

My present invention does away with. these Toad features. This-process can be conducted on any scale in a single apparatus and. Works Without intermittance and very little attendance. Thou h it is a true statement, that an excess 01: the alkali hydrate over the-amount Tessi du Motays formula prescribes, slackens the reaction when the process is conducted in the old fashion of nearly nornial pressure, and an excess of 'alkali has besides the disadvantage of softening the mixture and makingit impenetrable to the gases, I have found that, if a very large excess of alkali or some other diluent (or solvent) is given, so that the Whole mass becomes fluid and the air ancl steam are then introduced finely diiclecl and under pressure and at a some higher temperature, the reactions ore much accelerated, and using such e. fluid mess, it is then possible to make the, process continuous, by submitting simultaneously part of the mass toan oridizing, the other part to reducing treatment, While the gases evolved are kept separate. This way 1 obtain also the orivantage of pure oxygen. instead of -85%' by the. older methods.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure l is a vertical sectsonofone form of an op paratus, for carrying mynnventlon into effeet, and Fig. .2 a; horizontal section.

.. The mam part oi the apparatus, wherein -.r l n the reactions are taking place, consists of 2- iron cylin'tlricaljessels or chambers 1 2,.set in brickwork 3. They are closed or;

Specification of Letters Iatent.

prevent any water from enter- I I mg: the harsher 1, as long as .not sulhcient pressure on it. This valve could be dispense! with by placing the chambers at a sulhcientlv high level sin the some reheir bottonistue two chambers nmunicate with each other in a double my through pipes '1 end S and openings in he bottom plates of the chambers. From he central hoes of the oottoro. e stegfpipcs 9 an chambers. Further, each chamber contains rude the interior of the Patented Jan. 12, 1915; i

3\ the gases, the first one 2. round gaerforatetl iron pipe, marked 11 and. 12 respectively, which reach with their extensions 13 and 1% through the shclls of the chambers in an airtight way. The outside parts of these extensions are joined to other smaller pipes 15 and 16 respectively.

The larger pipes 13 and 1& are providedy with valves 1'? and 18 for regulating then I pressure. All four pipes serve for the pur= pose of introducing gases and vapors. Pipes 5 and 6 are provided with manometers 19 and 20.

The apparatus to the right of the. drawing represents one of my power apparatus, as patented by he formerly, in a'somewhat modified form to suit the conditions of this .case better, The object of putting it in, is

to recover the largest part 01 the heat of the the top sex 23, both boxes communicating. with each other through the large pipe 24 and the smaller pipe 25 together "with the turhine The top box :23 is providecl ith an outlet pipe 2? for ases and steam. fin

the inte *ior of hips 2 1, meal its bottom end, perforated ring pipe 28 is placed, which connects with the pipe 5 leading to one of the reaction chambers. The top of the power apparatus supports 2. condenser :29, to which leads the pipe- 6 of the other reaction chamoer. A1: outlet pipe 39 attached to the condenser serves for the purpose of conducting the oxygen from the condenser into the lower of a cylinder 3., While another pipe 32 conducts the condensate from the condenser nto the caps 25 of the power ganite, such as calcnlm mam-punts or magthrough pipel and branch pipe 1? equally heated steam and continue this, until the whole apparatus and the brickwork are well heated up. I thenopen the manholes and 4 and introduce through them a mix ture, previously melted in a suitable furnace, of pyrolusite (manganese dioxid} or a mannanate, and sodium hydroxid or some other 'diluent in such proportions that the mixture is Well fluid at the temperature to be applied during the process. This twigs armors is va-- riable according to the g: 'ticular substance used as a diluent. Using as such an excess of sodium hydroxid, the temperature ought to be at least 500 C. If, llOW8TGl',"l3l16 potassium liydroxid, or sodium or potassium nitrite 'is used, the temperature may be lower, while with an alkali carbonate, phos photo, or borate-it must be higher. The temperature also depends upon the proportion, that is the amount of excess of hydroxid used. More of this substance'u'ill require a lower, less a higher temperature, for keeping the mixture at the proper degree of fluidity. The same applies to the varying amounts of other diluents used. I have found out that 23 times the amount of sodium hydroxid than the formula of Tessie du Motay demands is perfectly sullicient to keep the mixture fluid. Proper mixtures with other diluents are: 1 part pyrolusits+ 1% parts NaOH+1 to 11} NaNQ; or 1 part pyrolusite+2=- parts'NaOlzi+l part 4 borate or phosphate; or 1 part pyroiusite l2 parts NaOH+1 parts $111,89 With carbonate it is advisable to melt it first with the pyrolusite, then add the NuQH. instead of pyrolusite may be used any other oxid of manganese, or a maugauite, for instance calcium manganite or mangfaaute, more or less than the above amounts in accordance with the contents in mangaucse and impurities. Tie above examples do, of course, not cover all the proportions suitable for the success of the process. The roactions are probably ex otly the some as those of Tessi du Motay. The additions act only as diluents or solvents making it 1 ble to bring the mass finely divided into intimate contact with the air and steam. As much of the mixture must he introduced as will fil l both chambers about half, whcnuio gas is introduced. As soon as the air and steam -are turned on with their full, pressure, which may be a tire mancm' stance of masses Tied, plus that of the column of Water in the power apparatus or the cylinder 31, the level of the molten mass is above the open ends of the central pipes 9 and 10. X 'now'j' open valve 38 and then close the manholes; whereby the gases are forced through the power apparatus and the steam and oxygen through the condenser.29 and the cylinder.. 31 respe tively. is no water so far has been put into the itter devices, the gas and steam find very little resistance besides that encounteredin passing through. the molten chemicals. As soon as the pressure is may. on, F. oegiu filling the power apparatus with water as explained inmy other patents, and also the cylinder 31, the latter to be about threoquarters full. In the meantime I have turned on the cooling Water to. the con dsson- When the required amount of water has been run into the power apparatus, l. .erve the p ssures as indicated by the .0. If manometer 20 shows less pressure iau manometer 19, more We.- ter must 559 ii into cylinder 31 through pipe 34, in the opposite case the reverse has to he done. For the water in this cylinder v serves the pi ose of regulating the pressure in chain! so that it equals that in chamber 1. The same result could he at tained by a pressure regulating valves 1,95 pipe 30, but I prefer this arrangement, aslit is safer and allows of closer regulation: Also the cold. ater kept in the cylinde helps to condonse'the last traces of steiimw u' contained in the oxygen.

i will now explain the functions or? the communication pipes '5 and 8 more fully.

If the level of the molten mass in both chambers stands, While no gas was intro duced, at about a heig htindicated by the loo dotted line y, it will; when the air and steam. are introduced at their proper pressure, raise to the line 1 -2, liecausefa large amount of steam will he continually entangled ith the molten particles of the fluid chemicals. Butas no gases can get into the vertical pipes 9 and 10, (for they follow the law of gravityupward in this case) the result will he that We have in pipes 9 and 1G a o on material which is considerably hoa er than the average mixturein the chambers outside of the pipes. Qonscquently, there arises a tendency 'of"'tlie rm JS in the pipes to press downward, While from their) points on. Where gas and steam are intro 2 2115 pipes 15 and 1( and from the ls .l of the perforated pipes U. and 19 there exists a pressureupward. The resulting movement of'the fluid mass is then: downward in the central pipes and following; further the bend of the pipes, until the mass reaches the lowest points where it insets the first gas or steam, mingles with them and forms now a lighter mixture-and escapes upward above the bottoms of the which consists in melting an oxid of manganese with alkali metal carbonate or hydroxid to form an alkali'metal manganate and adding to it a diluent, in such proportions as to produce uneasily fusible mixture, injecting into different portions of "this mixture heated air and superheated steam, so that the resulting gases may be recovered separately.

5. The process of producing oxygen, which consists in forcing heated air andsuperheated steam through different portions of a molten mixture containing an alkali metal manganate and a diluent, the two portions ofthe molten mass being in free communication With each other andchanging their places so that each one is alternately inreaction with the air and the steam, thereby producing oxygen continually and recovering it separately in a pure state.

6. The process of producing oxygen, which consists in forcing heated air, free of carbon dioxid, and superheated steam through difi'erent portions of the same body of a molten mixture containing substances that can form a manganate and a diluent, I whereby one portion is oxidized and the other portion reduced, and simultaneously parts of them are contii i'iiouly'caused to 3h change places, continuing the injection of air and steam at the sameplaces, wherebythose' portions formerly oxidized are now reduced and vice versa, and recovering the gases separately.

The process of producing oxygen, which consists in forcing simultaneously heated air, free of carbon dioxid, and superheated steam throughdifi er'ent portions of manganate 'or substances producing the same, and one or more other substances forming a diluent and renderingthe mass more readily fusible, thereby causing a flow a molten mixture containing alkali metal ii) of the fluid mixture from the place, where 

